I’m heading home from a near week in Chicago, and I’ll have more on my exploits later this week. I’ll be on the road for a chunk of the day, so you’ll have to forgive a little absence today. Posting should be normal for a Sunday, though.
I had a great time meeting so many of you this week, between the Cubs games and the Wrigley tours and the get-together and the Under Armour Game. You’re swell people.
No Jorge Soler today for Cubs fans. It was always the less likely outcome – but possible – that Soler would come up earlier than expected, and take Junior Lake’s spot on the big league roster. As it stands, the Cubs will instead call up Matt Szczur, another outfielder already on the 40-man roster. A big congrats to Szczur on the big league call-up, which comes four years after the Cubs started the process of trying to woo him away from a football career. Szczur was a start wide receiver at Villanova before turning to baseball full-time.
Although he runs well and plays quality defense (he was the top defensive outfielder in the entire PCL to Baseball America this year), Szczur is hitting .261/.315/.312 on the year, which is a pretty healthy drop from his .281/.350/.367 line last year at AA (which was good for a 112 wRC+). Unfortunately, in the transition to AAA, Szczur’s BABIP dipped slightly, his strikeout rate climbed slightly, his walk rate fell slightly, and his modest power fell a bit. Take that all together and a bunch of small negative changes become one big negative change. It’s fair to question whether Szczur will ever hit enough to make it as a big league bench guy, even with the other tools (he’s been a fair bit hotter since the All-Star break, at least, with a .351 OBP). Perhaps that’s a part of what this look-see will be about. Luke will have more on Szczur later this morning.
I won’t have a chance to get a close look at Dan Straily’s start yesterday until later, but you can read his and Rick Renteria’s thoughts here. He certainly had some tough luck with the hit sequencing, but he also allowed too many baserunners.
As Jed Hoyer notes to the Tribune, the composition of the Cubs’ upcoming roster is such that there will probably be a lot of strikeouts. Even still, the last 10 games or so have been absurd, with the Cubs collectively striking out at something like a 30% clip.
Matt Gelb writes about the hot seat upon which Ruben Amaro sits as GM in Philadelphia, and, when discussing the possibility of a change, the very first up-and-coming candidate he mentions is Cubs VP of Scouting and Player Development Jason McLeod. Like I’ve said before, get used to this kind of thing, because that’s how well McLeod is viewed in the industry. When openings pop up, he, and a collection of about five other guys, will always have their names circulate. McLeod elected to back out of the Padres’ GM search in June rather than take an interview, saying he believed in what the Cubs are doing and wants to be here when they win.
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.
Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
You can't know what's going to happen on the injury front. Trying to predict the unpredictability of player health has been the longest-running vexatious part of a modern front office's job, and I recognize that kind of thing before getting...
Ah, now the obligatory off-day after Opening Day. And an Opening Day loss no less, which always makes today that much better, right ... You could hang on so many things from the opening loss - one-run losses in heavily-scrutinized...
A significant update on Justin Steele came from Craig Counsell tonight after the Cubs extra innings loss in Texas. In short: Yes, a stint on the Injured List is likely for Justin Steele. But we still don't know how severe...
It took exactly one day for the Cubs' ace to sustain what may be a significant injury, for their closer to blow a save, for the umpires to significantly impact the outcome of a critical play (this time in the...
That was absolutely incredible. To all the little kids out there, when your coach tells you to never stop running, this is why. Rookie Cubs 1B Michael Busch (the guy the Cubs got from the Dodgers this offseason to be...
*SHORT COURTS: It's Time To Bring The Home Court, Home! Looking for a unique way to celebrate your athlete or team before you peruse the FIRST CHICAGO CUBS LINEUP of the Year? Don't miss out! For just one more week...
I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...
ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....
You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...
Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...
The Miami Marlins (0-1) are favorites (-132) on the moneyline when they square off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0) Friday at 7:10 PM ET, live on BSFL.Miami's Andrew Jacob Puk and Pittsburgh's Martin Perez have been named the starters for...
The Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) and Toronto Blue Jays (1-0) meet Friday at Tropicana Field, starting at 6:50 PM ET on SNET. The Rays are -122 moneyline favorites for the contest, however, the Blue Jays are favored against the spread...
The New York Yankees (1-0) visit the Houston Astros (0-1) for a road game on Friday at 8:10 PM ET.The Astros will look to Cristian Javier versus the Yankees and Carlos Rodon.Astros vs. Yankees Pitcher Matchup and Game InfoWhen: Friday,...
This weekend is packed with great sports action including the NCAA Tournament, MLB, and NBA for bettors. Check out the FanDuel promo code to score a $200 bonus if your first $5 bet wins! If you live in NC, you...
This time of the year on the sports calendar is truly special with the MLB season starting, college basketball in full swing, and much more! Don't miss out on the chance to grab a bonus by using the latest DraftKings...
The Toronto Blue Jays (1-0) play on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) at Tropicana Field. The game is set to start at 6:50 PM ET on Friday.The Rays will call on Aaron Civale versus the Blue Jays...
The Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0) play on Friday in Miami against the Miami Marlins (0-1). First pitch is at 7:10 PM ET.The Marlins will call on Andrew Jacob Puk against the Pirates and Martin Perez.Marlins vs. Pirates Pitcher Matchup and Game...
We have a couple of number-one seeds in March Madness action tonight including Houston (32-4) as the Cougars take on Duke (26-8). Check out the odds and more for Duke vs Houston which tips off tonight at 9:39 pm ET...
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enjoyed a successful 2023 season, capturing their third straight NFC South title and pushing the Detroit Lions in a thrilling Divisional Round matchup. This strong showing translates to a relatively stable roster with few glaring weaknesses...
After a long wait, legal sports betting has finally arrived in the Tar Heel State. Fanatics NC, along with host of other sports books are up and operating in North Carolina. This exciting development opens doors for fans to wager...